She's Healing
by AkatsukiStalkers-RebelQueens
Summary: its been a while. Sakura's gotten better- but only with her family. still fearful of outside her fortress, she finds one person she can trust, who is much worse off. when she focuses on healing Hinata, she may get side tracked by something blossoming between her and a certain someone. but, nothing is simple when you fear the world... and when it wants you back. Author: Neko Alex
1. Chapter 1

**She's Healing**

_This, in other words, is the Akatsuki family._

_Her family._

_Sakura's family._

_And that was all there was to it._

There she was. She stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down into its depth with a strange memory of jumping off the bridge that crossed it. The cliff was sheer, and the water was gurgling ever so fast at the bottom of the canyon.

She walked along the bridge's railing, watching the water gurgle. The wind tugged the tips of her silky pink hair as her soft forest green eyes followed the length of the gorge. Her midriff black shirt was patterned with the familiar red pattern that now surrounded her life. Under that was a darker red tank top, and over her black ninja pants was a skirt with the same dawn-themed textiles.

As she thought back to that day, another voice called out to her. "You might want to be careful on the ledge, Saku."

She sighed contently, turning around to walk back along the railing toward the artist duo that waited at the tree.

It had been 6 months since her escape, and finding her true family. Just 4 of them ago, she joined Akatsuki as a ninja. Of course, she was an s-level medic, but her ninja skills had still been just Jonin level. But they had trained her well, and she became her s-class form.

Her skin had healed, and only a few scars marked her as a reminder. She had gained back the weight she needed, and her boney body was now slim yet healthy. Her personality was sweet and still shy, but she didn't flinch at every touch like on the day Deidara had caught her. Most of her nightmares had stopped, and you could see the traces slowly disappearing.

As she stepped down onto the solid ground, she murmured happily about the soft grass. Spending time in the Akatsuki, she had come into an odd hatred of shoes… she wondered where she had gotten that…

Sighing, not really caring about it, she quickly made her way to the red haired and blonde artists. She smiled at them, and they returned it with a smirk.

"Are you ready to go home, yeah?" Deidara asked with an eye roll.

"mm-hm." She giggled, and the pair started to escort her back via the bird. She sat on the edge of the tail, her feet hanging over the edge as she watched the blur of green trees passing her by.

She thought back to her time in the village again, she still often did. The terror the boys had cause, and the girls who went along with it and became whores and pretty much gave up trying to be strong like them. She remembered having been the only one of her gender to make Jonin, yet her civilian mother never supported it. She had tried to set Sakura up with any guy- whether it be her fellow ninja like Sasuke or Naruto, or wed her off with some old man who liked young girls and owned a shop or something… s long as they had enough money, her mom wanted them to wed.

She sighed, shaking her head. She didn't hate her mom like the boys. Her mom was always lonely these days, without her dad around…

Then her thoughts wandered to Tsunade. She had once thought of her as a second mother, but it was her who had given the rumor she was weak its fertile ground. Sakura had only been just a little exhausted during one of their chakra heavy spars, and she had gotten clobbered. She glared at the pinkette, shouting about how she had been slipping lately. They had argued and argued, until in a fit of rage, Tsunade quit being her teacher, claiming she couldn't handle being a ninja. She had received no more ninja missions since then, and her ours at the hospital were bare minimum.

In fact, the only place she could remember actually being able to help was in Suna a few weeks before her meeting with the ever famous Akatsuki. She had taken a vacation there with the last of her money from her missions, to the one place where she was still recognized as a good ninja.

She smiled at the memories. Kankuro, ever grateful to her, made sure she had anything she wanted. Gaara was sure to extend her trip free of charge, and set her up in the Hokage's tower with a luxurious sweet. And, even then when he looked confused as to why she wanted to work on her vacation, he gave the head of the hospital a vacation and Sakura took over, training staff and tending to patients. She and Gaara even arranged for her to give a speech to all the Genin. It was the greatest part of her vacation- feeling useful again. And she pounded it into the heads of all the Genin kunoichi to not become like the girls back home, and a few even joined up together to let her speak at the sand's academy and tell the younger girls the same thing.

She remembered being surprised to find she was a role model to all the kunoichi, and all the shinobi, even quite a few Jonin. They valued what she said, and she felt god to know that the sand would take her word to heart, and not turn into the slutty place she had to return to after 2 months.

She remembered being inspired enough to go to Tsunade, and apologize, and maybe ask to go and speak to the academy like she had in the sand if all went well.

But it didn't. As soon as she apologized, Tsunade glared darkly at her, and Sakura caught the whiff of sake. "J'ou go away, f-for 2 months too-oo SUNA! And j-ou want meh to jus up and fuc-fuckin fergiv j'ou!?"

And with that, she had ANBU escort her out of the building, where she stood flabbergasted.

And, then things got worse till the point… well, you know.

She remembered how the only person she could really trust was Kakashi. Sometimes when Sasuke was chasing her, she would show up on his doorstep and he would hide her away in his closet. And when Sasuke would show up demanding where she was, he said he had just gotten home, before rocketing into the 'there was just this old lady, carrying these bags of…" and like that, Sasuke was gone.

When he came to get her out of the closet, he would stand there, arms crossed, with and unhappy look on his face. "I don't want you staying here." He would say, as always, starting up the 'move to Suna' speech, that he could help pay to move, and that Gaara would take care of her.

"Gaara doesn't know what's going on, and Naruto is his best friend! I couldn't turn them against each other, Naruto was Gaara's first friend!" she would argue.

In the end, he would sigh, defeated. And she would head home, lock the doors, and sleep in her booby-trapped bath room with no windows. That was how scared she was, scared enough to sleep in her bath tub. She knew very well Kakashi was just outside her apartment, keeping watch over her home for the night, but she was still terrified.

She realized the bird was descending again, and when they landed, Deidara was right in front of her to help her off the white bird's tail.

"I'm gunna enjoy the air outside before it gets cold and dark." She told them, waving with a smile. "Tell Konan I'll be in to help with dinner soon!" she called as she started off in the direction of Kisame's pool.

She stepped into the cool water absently, sitting at the edge and leaving her feet in the crystal blue liquid.

A large object floated toward her in the water, its face silver, and the scales along it changed from the grey to dark blue, then green, then yellow, then orange, and its fins were red. The colors were all dim and looked sun baked, but they still had the shine. Her fins were long and were like thin pieces cloth, wavering in the water. Three thick whiskers spread from the face, and light purple eyes sparked at her.

"Ah, Mamoru…" she murmured, pulling off her fingerless leather black gloves before sliding her hands into the water. The cat fish creature swam up and nestled into her hand. Her nails were painted bright red, and on that hand was a red ring on her index finger. The kanji for 'heal' was painted in black. She was an official Akatsuki.

Mamoru swam into her hand a little more, and she ran her fingers along its side. In all honesty, she giggled, this fish literally acted like a fish. She ran her fingers along its length again, smiling.

She stood, stretched a little, and walked along the water's shore, Mamoru swimming at her side, and occasionally rubbing against her. Other small neon fish swam up and down around her as well, knowing her just as well as they did Mamoru and Kisame since she came out every night.

But, the small fish vanished and Mamoru stood still, as Sakura froze when a bush trembled to her left. Sakura took a few steps back, further into the water until the edges of her ninja pants were soaking up the water.

She pulled out her kunai, readying her chakra. Then, something she never had guessed to happen did so just before her.

Hinata, blood dripping from her temple and the opposite side of her mouth, her face bruised and her hair messy, her pale eyes glazed ever so slightly, limped once with her hand on a tree for balance.

She tried to take another step, but fell forward, and lie there, ever so still.

Sakura didn't move. Vague flashes of training with Kakashi entered her mind; when he had cast a Genjutsu to make something similar happen, only with Sasuke, when she used to worship him.

But, where that fake Sasuke had looked right at her, called to her, was targeting her, Hinata hadn't even noticed her. She didn't know anyone was there. And, Mamoru was slithering toward the bank, then back in the water, as if to get toward the girl.

'_You have to be pure of heart'_ Kisame's voice rang in her ear. And yeah, sure it was cheesy… but… if that fish thought that object was pure of heart- then t couldn't be a trick. And Hinata had been one to be pure of heart, that shy little child.

Putting away the kunai, she used a water technique Kisame had taught her to put Mamoru in a water bubble, like a water prison she didn't have to touch, and as she hurried out of the water, Mamoru pushed his bubble forward toward the downed blue haired girl.

She got on her knees, rolling the girl onto her back as Mamoru settled his bubble just an inch off the floor on the girl's other side.

"Hinata-chan! Hinata-chan!" she purred, her arms coating in think green chakra. She quickly started scanning the girl's body, finding thick bruises on her stomach, but all the injuries were internal. Her arm was wretched out of its socket, with hand-shaped purple marks, and rings around her wrists like she had been tied. With a sickening feeling welling up in her stomach, she could sense all the bruising under her shirt on her chest, as well as in her lower areas and hand shaped ones on her thighs, and more thick rings around her ankles.

She started to pump chakra into her stomach, where there was so much internal bleeding. She glanced around, knowing she would need help. She remembered a little useful trait of the ring she had on, and sent a bit of her chakra into it, just enough to send a request for a member's help.

It was less than a second that she felt two chakras simultaneously respond through the ring, recognizing them as Kisame and Konan. In a minute she saw them running across the clearing. Konan reached her first, and got down on his knees at the girls head, looking with wide eyes at the girl on the floor.

Whipping the shock from her face, she tipped a small strip of cloth from the girl's sleeve, dabbing it on Mamoru's water bubble, before dabbing it on her bleeding temple.

Kisame got there, panting slightly, but he quickly had the same look on his face. "Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan." Sakura whispered softly, watching her face for a reaction. She motioned Kisame over, and he nodded, getting on one knee and carefully lifting up the battered girl.

Sakura walked backwards, still healing the poor girl, while Konan went off to search for anyone else in the area that might be suspicious. She vaguely noticed Mamoru was rolling his bubble back toward the water to go home.

As they entered the house, Sakura unsealed the door and held it open as Kisame maneuvered the kunoichi into the building. Almost everyone had gathered in the living room, awaiting her return having felt her chakra in their rings.

And they all looked on once more with shock and surprise as Kisame moved toward the couch with Hinata in his arms, Sakura trailing after with her hands still green. Deidara and Zetsu both got off the couch and Kisame set her down on it after Sakura unrolled a blanket on it to keep it clean of any blood.

She immediately went back to work on healing her old friend. Images flashed in her mind of how Hinata had always been different from the other girls. Hinata always did try to help her, but Naruto never let her. When Ino or Tenten slaved for their 'master', Hinata didn't particularly try to get any. She was still, as Mamoru proved, the sweet, innocent angel.

"Hinata-chan…" she whispered as she bit her lip. "Oh, Hinata-chan… you don't deserve this… come on, Hinata-chan, wake up…" she called softly, as Konan came back in. she nodded to Pein, who was leaning over Sakura's shoulder, and he nodded back.

As Sakura continued to call to her friend, the glazed eyes that had closed cracked open. Her chakra still in the girl's system, she felt her heart begin to speed up faster and faster, but knew she wasn't registering anything.

She set her chakra to dull more of the Pein, whispering into her ear, "its ok, Hina-chan. Your safe right now, you're going to be ok… no one's going to hurt you…"

Her pulse settled a little and her eyes unfogged. "S… Saku… ra…?" she rasped, a gurgling sound in her throat. She frowned, but continued to murmur soothing fraises in her softest voice. "Saku…ra…" she sighed as she closed her eyes again, slipping into deep sleep.

Sakura watched her for a second, and then turned her head back. Konan had been leaning over the back of the couch with Zetsu and Deidara. Kisame was still at her side, and the others were leaning over her to look at the Konaha girl. But she looked directly at Pein, straight into his ringed eyes.

And he knew just what she was mentally asking him- they all knew. He closed his eyes for a second. Sakura was like a daughter to him, but…

"We can't keep a Konaha kunoichi in our home." He said firmly. Sakura turned around, remembering something she had noticed while scanning her.

She reached for the object hanging around her neck, and turned around. There was the leaf girl's head band, a thick slash through the very symbol of the village. "She is a leaf Kunoichi no more." She said calmly, pleading for him to let the poor girl stay.

Pein's brow knitted and he looked at the unconscious girl. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled up the profile in his head from when he was going over Sakura's past. The Hyuuga girl- and he had caught a glimpse of that Byakugan- something they didn't have in their group. She had gentle fist, and was of the royal branch. She could be useful to the organization. And, it was a friend of his daughter-figure…

"Fine. But, you must be sure to train her at least to Jonin level when she is healed." He added, and she nodded, sighing relief. She looked to Kisame, and he picked her up again. Sakura lead the shark man down the hall and into her room, and she noticed Itachi and Sasori following.

After pulling the blankets and sheets off the bed, she set a couple of towels over the mattress and put a pillow without the cover on it. She motioned to Kisame, and he softly set the girl down. He left the room, and Sakura watched as Sasori quickly took measurements and wrote them down on a note pad, before leaving to make her uniform. Itachi stood there, watching Hinata.

"She wasn't as lucky." He murmured, his eyes following the tie marks on her arms and legs, and the hand marks, bruises, and torn clothes.

Sakura sighed, turning to look at her friend. "Yup. I should have stayed there… to at least try and help her…"

Itachi shook his head. "What's done is done. You are healing, and now is your chance to help her."

Sakura frowned, resting her hand on Hinata's stomach. She knew very well what it was she had felt while scanning her over, it was small, but it was there. A second chakra…

She breathed deeply. "Itachi, why did you follow me in…" she asked.

"I felt the chakra." He said softly, staring at the Hyuuga girl's stomach. "Only faintly… but it's there. And I think you need to report that to Pein."

"No… not yet… but I will." She said, turning to him, she smiled slightly. "Don't worry. It's still young; there will be time to tell him."

He smiled at her, shaking his head. "You take care of her, and I'll help keep an eye on her for you." He said wrapping an arm around her in a quick hug.

She giggled slightly, and as he left, she turned back to Hinata, who was starting to wake up again.

Sakura sat on the side of the bed, and her head turned to Sakura. Just then, Pein and Konan walked through the door, and were silent as Sakura helped Hinata moved and get comfortable, before sitting her up slowly.

"Sakura… chan? Where are we?" she asked, confused. Sakura smiled softly. She tugged the cloth skirt, and Hinata blinked at the patterns of clouds. "I'm… at the…" she murmured, trailing off.

"Akatsuki." Sakura finished for her. Konan stepped forward quietly, and Hinata jumped when she spoke at her side. "You're going to be ok here, Hinata-chan. Sakura has explained the situation in the leaf, and we will help you." Konan said softly, and Sakura remembered that sweet, friendly tone from the beginning of her own recovery.

Hinata looked shyly at the blue haired girl, shrinking behind Sakura. Then, that's about the point she noticed Pein looking at her.

She yelped, hiding completely behind Sakura, and clutching to the back of her shirt. She buried her face in Sakura's back, and Sakura turned back to look at her, blinking with a small smile.

She turned back to Pein, who had crossed his arms and was twitching. "She's worse off than when you came here." He muttered under his breath, and she remembered Hinata's little secret. _You don't have a clue how much is different…_

Sakura sighed, turning at her hips so she could pull Hinata in front of her. She shivered and shook, glancing from Pein to the floor over and over.

Sakura rubbed her back gently. "Hinata-chan, it's ok. This is Konan," she gestured to the soft smiling girl, who had just shot a glare at Pein, and Konan waved slightly, still clutching onto Sakura. "And this is Pein; he's the leader, Hina. And, I told you, no one here is going to hurt you- by his order. He's protecting you…"

Her pale eyes flickered up to him, and she bit her lip. "Th-th-thank you… Pein-sama…" she murmured, an edge of terror in her voice.

Pein nodded, walking over hesitantly. Hinata scurried out of Sakura's grasp and back behind her, peering up at him from between the tips of pink locks and her shoulder.

Sakura snickered at the antics, and then looked up at Pein. "Don't worry; she was shy in the first place." She laughed.

He nodded, and held out his hand. Sakura held out her own, and his opened to drop a small, light purple nail polish and a dark purple ring, with Kanji for 'angelic' written in black. "When she joins Akatsuki, these will be hers. Until then, train her until S-rank. When she is of Jonin, she can join. Until then, she doesn't leave the compounds of Base without two escorts." He told her firmly.

Sakura nodded. She knew very well that Zetsu would also be watching them for the first few days or weeks, reporting straight to Pein. He had been assigned to do so for her, too, but it didn't last long as it was obvious she never wanted to go back to Konaha. However, Hinata's case would be different. There was no real way to know if this was a trap or not.

Sakura set the Akatsuki-mandatory parts into her pocket, and Pein turned to leave. Konan retreated to the other end of the bed, watching curiously as Sakura stood up leaving the huddled mass of girl behind on the bed.

"S-Saku-chan… Gaara is worried about you…" she said out of the blue, and Sakura froze as she had begun walking toward her dresser. "And Kankuro… and Kakashi…" she whispered.

Sakura bit her lip, "they shouldn't, because I can't go back ever again." She said flatly, continuing toward the dresser to find Hinata something comfortable.

"And the others… they are coming for you… S-Sasuke really wants you, Saku…"

Sakura's muscles tightened as she moved stiffly through the cloths, before pulling out long silk, lilac night gown with a light pink heart on the chest, one of the many luxurious things Konan had made her get that she had never actually worn.

She turned back, staring at her with sharp emerald eyes. "What happened." She dead panned. "Why were you out here? I know Naruto made you stop being a kunoichi, so you weren't injured on a mission. So. What. Happened."


	2. Chapter 2

**She's Healing**

_She turned back, staring at her with sharp emerald eyes. "What happened?" She dead panned. "Why were you out here? I know Naruto made you stop being a kunoichi, so you weren't injured on a mission. So. What. Happened."_

The Hyuuga girl fidgeted, and refused, but Sakura made her tell the story, with threat of leaving her locked up in Pein's room. Of course she would never do that, especially to Hinata in her mental state, but with the girl's fear factor and all, it was the only way to get the purple haired girl to speak.

After Sakura's escape, it was reported to Konaha by Sasuke and Ino that Sakura was AWOL. That she had become a rouge ninja, and joined Akatsuki.

Hinata, not believing Sakura would do such, sent a message to Gaara, alerting him, and asking if –since he had been closest to the pinkette- she had told him anything.

Gaara hadn't heard from her since her vacation to Suna, and the news drove him crazy, and he sent a request calling for not only Hinata's assistance, but also Naruto's, being Gaara wasn't aware of the great rift between Sakura and Naruto after he became a whore-lover.

Gaara consulted with the two on the situation when they arrived, but she remained quite whilst Naruto fully spoke of his support of Sasuke's report, claiming Sakura was a, and I quote, "bitch looking for someone to fuck her."

Gaara, later that night, called for Hinata alone, where he looked unamused. He said he didn't believe a load of that crap, and he could tell Hinata didn't either. He also said, that by the way Naruto was speaking these days, that something was off. He wasn't the same guy who had stopped his attack on Konaha all those years ago, and he coupled that with Sakura's recent speeches in Konaha about respect and what not.

He had Hinata explain her point of view on the state of affairs that had been going on in Konaha, and why Sakura might have left the village without a fight, let along by choice. And, although hesitant, Hinata broke down under his worried sea green gaze, told him all about the other girls giving up being Kunoichi, how the boys were claiming the girls, and that even though Sakura had no desire for such a life, they weren't planning on backing down.

She explained the real story she had heard from Naruto while he was talking with Sasuke. Sasuke's intentions and having caught Sakura that night, to when she got away. To the point she had decided to jump for it, and the spontaneous rescue by an unlikely person.

And, when Hinata told him that it was in fact a blonde haired Akatsuki member who had saved Sakura, Gaara's jaw had dropped and his eyes went huge. "She's with _Deidara_?" He had gasped.

He immediately issued search parties. Sand Shinobi, hearing of Sakura's capture, were anxious to go out and rescue the pink medic, particularly Kankuro and Temari, who began controlling the parties to go out and hunt down Akatsuki to return the pinkette from the clutches of the one who had captured Gaara once.

Returning to her room from talking with Gaara, Naruto was waiting for her. He was _pissed_. With all the ruckus going on, he had been woken up, and said that since he already was up, they should go ahead and start for home.

And, passing the boarder, heading into Konaha, they were stopped by Kankuro and a group of four. That's when Naruto found out that they knew _Deidara_ had caught her, and even if Gaara hadn't released info about Sasuke and Sakura's connection that night, only he, Sasuke, Ino, and Hinata knew about that little fact about the Iwa Nin.

Half way through the Konaha forest, a safe distance from possible border patrols and still in unpopulated areas, the Chinchuriki whirled on her, seething angrily. He accused her of lies and trying to make Sasuke sound bad. And, as he said, she needed punishment.

This was the point Hinata broke down, and Sakura could get no more of the story from her- which she didn't need. She knew very well what came next, so she soothed the frantic girl with gentle murmurs.

All she needed to know, was how Hinata ended up on Akatsuki's door step. So with very gentle prodding, she learned that Hinata had bit Naruto's… 'It'. And, apparently, she had bit 'it' HARD. She had scrambled away blindly, her vision hazy from blood loss, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up on Akatsuki's couch.

Saukra sighed, "Well, it looks like we both managed to escape." She pointed out, from where she sat, massaging the now sleeping girl's hair, who's head was resting in her lap.

Konan, who had said nothing nor moved an inch during the story, looked from where her ember colored orbs had been fixed on the floor. "Sakura, let me take Hinata-chan to her room." she said softly. "I know you have a low on your mind."

Sakura looked up at Konan. The bluenette always knew her too well. The firm face of demanding Hinata's story didn't waver until now, with only her sister-figure to see. "Thank you… Konan-chan…" she murmured, closing her eyes once before looking at Hinata one more time.

Konan slid her arms under the Indigo haired girl, who was changed into the lilac dress. The bluenette offered Sakura a smile, that the pinkette returned bravely, before the pair of blue haired girls left, leaving Sakura to brew over Hinata's earliest words…

"_The others… they are coming for you… S-Sasuke really wants you, Saku…"_

…

**Neko: yes, I know it was REALLY SHORT, but shut up. I do what I want.**


	3. Announcement! (not part of story)

**announcement to all readers from Neko-sama**

Syrian Arab Revar  
Mauritius  
Bulgaria  
Kuwait  
Bosnia and Herzegovina

you see those places i listed? those are all places i have NEVER EVEN HEARD OF.

yet somehow, i have at least 2 readers following me from those places.

my precious babies i love you all so very much. after 2 months of inactivity you still comment within the first 10 minutes of a story TWELVE TIMES.

there are some people i would like to personally promote.

you people have praised the crummy song lyrics i made up in some of them, even one of my precious extra cup-cake-y followers sang it and put it on youtube,

_Reira Honjo._

you people give me and the Rebel Queens the comments of a lifetime, hilarious and praising and detailed and perfect.

_MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan_ for your hilarity and constant reviews.

_Babybroant_ for being a dedicated reader.

_Guest: Connie Davis_ for being so attached to my stories.

_Akatsukilover15_ for being a complete cookie for taking on my poor orphaned story 'Yours Truely'.

_KarrineWinchester_ for your frequent reviews, i can count on your appearance.

_asredwer_ fore your honesty and help in spotting my mishaps

_moonloonstar _for your detailed reviewing in 'speechless' and other, i love to read those longer reviews so much!

i love you all, as well as all my others who take the time to AT LEAST type 'write soon' or 'love it'. it makes my day when every two weeks i get to come and see your beautiful words and i read them ALL. i even respond once in a while, so if you ask a question just stick it in a review and it SHALL be answered!

and remember how much i love you ALL!


End file.
